Antarctic rubbish

THE FIRST lawsuit over pollution in the Antarctic will be filed against the National Science Foundation in the US next month unless the agency cleans up its research sites.

The Environmental Defense Fund, a pressure group in Washington DC, told the agency that it will sue in order to stop open-pit burning and landfilling of wastes in the Antarctic.

'For 15 years, the NSF has operated its research facilities in violation of international and domestic law,' said Bruce Manheim of the EDF. The NSF is governed by the international Code of Conduct on Waste Disposal adopted by nations with outposts in Antarctica.

The EDF also argues that American law governing hazardous wastes applies to Americans abroad, even in Antarctica.

The NSF's McMurdo Base, the largest in Antarctica, produces 500 tonnes of solid waste each year.

The NSF began a $30 million (Pounds sterling 16 million) cleanup operation earlier this year. ...

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